SALINA, Kan. (AP) — Graduates of Kansas State University at Salina’s pilot program are getting a break from the federal government.

The school has been granted an exemption from the Federal Aviation Administration that will allow students to become professional co-pilots more quickly than other schools’ graduates.

The FAA rule requires aviation graduates to have at least 1,500 hours of flight time before being hired as co-pilots. The Salina Journal reports (http://bit.ly/12lF7n5 ) KSU-Salina’s flight program meets FAA requirements for an exemption. That means its graduates are required to have only 1,000 flight hours before becoming co-pilots.

Kurt Barnhart, an official at the school, said the exemption gives the students advantages in time and cost over students at flight schools that don’t meet the FAA requirements.